The exotic species in the genus Bidens are one of the most hazardous weeds in China. They are easily spread through seed awn attaching the carrier. They invade into various habitats such as arable land, abandoned land and roadside, and threaten biodiversity, eco-environments and agriculture. Pan et al (for details see pages 1257–1266 of this issue) compared the morphology, growth, biomass allocation, photosynthesis, and phenotypic plasticity of the two invasive Bidens species (B. pilosa and B. frondosa, the upper two pictures, photographed by Saichun Tang) with two native congeners (B. biternata and B. tripartita, the lower two pictures, photographed by Chunqiang Wei) under different light and water conditions in a common garden.

Current Issue

Editorial

1255

Ji Yang, Bo Li

New perspectives and techniques are needed to advance invasion science